Rutgers men’s basketball is in the midst of one of its toughest stretches of the season, as it is set to play No.10 Michigan State before making the long trip out west to face USC and UCLA. The Spartans
are riding a 6-game win streak, having crushed Maryland 91-48 in their last game.
Tom Izzo and his squad are looking to once again cement themselves among the country’s elite, as they are currently 18-2 with ranked wins over No. 14 Arkansas, No. 12 Kentucky, and No. 16 North Carolina. Their only losses this season came against No.13 Nebraska, where they lost by two points, and No.4 Duke.
The Spartans have four players averaging more than 10 points per game, as guard Jeremy Fears Jr. leads the team with 13.4 points per game, while forward Jaxon Kohler sits just behind him, averaging 13.2 points per game. Forward Coen Carr and Center Carson Cooper are the other two averaging more than 10 points per game.
Fears Jr. also leads Michigan State in assists per game with 8.9. The Spartans also rebound really well, as Cooper, Carr, and Kohler are averaging more than five rebounds per game each. Kohler leads the way with 9.6 rebounds per game.
In total, the Spartans average 79.1 points per game off a 47.9 field goal percentage and a 72.8 free throw percentage. They also average 41.3 rebounds per game and 18.9 assists per game. The Scarlet Knights, in comparison, average 69.7 points per game, a 40.7 field goal percentage, a 72.9 free throw percentage, 35.3 rebounds per game, and 10.7 assists per game.
Michigan State is a tough matchup for everyone, especially the struggling Knights. Looking for a win here is a very tall ask, but that is why the game is played. With Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell constantly changing the starting lineup, it will be interesting to see which lineup he uses for this game and how many minutes the guys coming off the bench will get.
If the Knights can find a way to keep this close, that would be great for morale as they travel to the West Coast. The Spartans play great, team-oriented basketball that includes a lot of efficient passing. For Rutgers to keep the game close, they need to show that they can do something similar.
The Knights’ game against Michigan State is slated for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off tomorrow inside Jersey Mike’s Arena. Live coverage for the game will be available on FS1.
